I've long held the cranky opinion that "ground reference
maneuvers" are not maneuvers at all, and that teaching them as
such only confuses the student.

For example, "circles around a point," or "S-turns across a
road" are not maneuvers in their own right, but applications of
turning flight at various bank angles.

Similarly, "crabbing" is not a true maneuver, since it is
identical to "straight and level flight."

A "true" maneuver is an aerodynamic exercise that is carried out
by proper use of the controls. It has nothing to do with the
wind or the ground.

In the real world, there are a lot of reasons, pertaining to the
wind or the ground, for performing maneuvers. This is why we
learn them. But having a new reason to perform a maneuver is
not a new maneuver.

Consequently, I believe that we are doing a disservice to our
students by calling a crab (which is really just straight
flight) a maneuver. And a slip is just a slip. There is only
one slip. We may have different reasons for doing a slip, but
it is still just a single maneuver.

-Pat